a sunlit afternoon
by queen-sheep
Summary: Percy teaches Ron how to play chess.


_For QLFC S6R12_

 _Main prompt: Write about Ron's relationship with one of his siblings_

 _Optional prompts: (object) skull, (word) potential, (dialogue) "Is that the amulet he/she gave you?"_

* * *

It was an unusually quiet Sunday morning at the Burrow.

Percy looked up from where he was perched on the couch with a book and observed the sunlit living room. Ginny was sprawled out on the floor painting a picture, while the twins had their heads together, plotting one thing or another, he reckoned.

Bill was gone—he had graduated this year and had gotten an offer for his dream job as a curse breaker in Egypt. Ginny had sulked the entire first day Bill left, but Charlie and the twins couldn't care less, delighted by the increase in space around the house. Ron had taken the news the worst, shutting himself in his room and refusing to come out.

As if on cue, their mum popped her head in from the kitchen, her apron dusted white with flour. "Is Ron still upset about Bill leaving?" she asked, staring meaningfully at the group of them.

The twins shrugged before putting their heads together again and continuing whatever it was they were doing. Ginny simply ignored the question altogether.

Percy sighed. As Charlie was staying at a friend's house for the summer, it was up to him as the eldest to fix any problems with his siblings. He shut his book and placed it carefully on the living room table.

"I'll go check on him," he volunteered.

His mum beamed at him. "Oh, perfect! Try and get him down here for food if you can. He's been eating so little lately."

"I'll see what I can do," Percy said, anticipating the nigh impossible task facing him. Ron absolutely idolized Bill, and so Bill leaving semi-permanently had been a big blow. Percy left the living room and padded up two flights of stairs before knocking firmly on Ron's bedroom door.

There was no response. Percy sighed. Things would've been so much easier if it was Bill standing at the door, but therein laid the problem.

"Open up, it's me," Percy tried again, injecting as much sibling authority as he could in his voice.

"Go away," Ron shouted through the door.

Well then. Percy took that as his cue to push the door open. Ron frowned at him from where he was sitting cross-legged on his bed. "I _said_ go away."

"No," Percy said, before taking a seat at the edge of the bed. He was the teensiest bit relieved when Ron didn't shove him off, as he knew the twins would if he ever did that.

Instead, Ron turned his back on him, his hands clutching something that flashed gold in the morning light.

"Is that the amulet he gave you?" Percy asked, glancing down at the object.

Ron gave a terse nod. "Bill said it's supposed to protect me," he mumbled.

Percy nodded encouragingly. He was making some progress at least. "That's good. You can never have enough magical protection."

Ron nodded once more, then fell silent.

So much for progress. If Bill was here, he'd know exactly what to say to him. Hell, if _Charlie_ was here, he'd know what to say too. Percy's gaze landed on Ron's desk, where a model of a dragon's skull sat proudly on top. Charlie had given it to Ron for his sixth birthday, where it had been a treasured item since.

Percy had never been able to recreate that same connection with any of his younger siblings, no matter how hard he tried. The books he gifted them tended to be tossed away on a bookshelf somewhere or—worse—used as a doorstop. It was frustrating at best and upsetting at worst.

"Do you know when Bill's coming back?" Ron asked suddenly.

Percy sighed, but he was never anything but honest. "I don't know, Ron. He's got a very important job as a curse breaker now, which means he has to be away from home for a long time."

Ron frowned. "He said he'd play with me over the summer. He _promised_."

Percy worried his lip. What was he supposed to say to that? What could he even say to that? While he cast about for an answer, Percy's gaze fell on a dusty looking suitcase tossed haphazardly in the corner of the room. It was a set of Wizarding chess, given to Ron last year on his birthday by their grandfather.

An idea started to form in his head.

"Well," Percy swallowed, "about that promise. Bill entrusted me with a very important task before he left, you see." Percy rubbed his hands together and hoped they didn't look as sweaty as they felt. "He said he wants to be able to play chess with you when he comes back, and so he asked me to teach you to play."

It wasn't a total lie, Percy justified to himself. A half-truth at best. Bill was great at playing Wizarding chess and he would surely be delighted to play with someone other than Percy and their dad.

Ron considered the proposition, seeming to weigh the pros and cons. "Okay," he finally agreed, scrambling off the bed and retrieving the suitcase from the corner or the room. He laid it out on the bed for Percy, who dragged the hefty container towards himself and unlocked the latch.

Out came the lovely antique chess board, bigger than either of their faces. Underneath it were two smaller boxes that contained the white and black chess pieces.

Once the lids were off, they were bombarded by a flurry of discontented voices.

"It's about time!" the white queen scolded. "How dare you keep us in this musty old box for so long! You should be _ashamed_ of yourselves."

"My, it feels good to have fresh air again," the black knight murmured.

"You look new," the white pawn said, staring up at their faces. At that, the rest of the voices died down as the pieces turned to look at them.

"Yes, hello," Percy said politely. "We're going to play a game if you don't mind."

"Oh, go ahead then dears," the black queen said. "And don't mind the rest of them. We've all been cooped up in here for a little too long."

With permission granted, Percy reached into the box and began setting up the board as their dad taught him. King, queen, bishop, rook, bishop, knight, pawn. Percy named the pieces as he pulled them out, explaining their name and their function to Ron as he did so.

"This is the king," he said as he placed the piece down. "He's the most valuable player on your board. The moment your king is placed in checkmate, the game is over."

"The queen is one of your most valuable players," Percy continued. "She can move straight in any one direction. The rook can move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. The bishop can also move as far as it wants, but only diagonally."

One by one, he explained the pieces and their moves. Ron listened quietly all the while, occasionally interjecting to clarify and ask questions.

"The white player goes first," Percy finished. "Usually we flip a coin to see who gets to be white, but since it's your first time I'll let you go first."

"Okay," Ron said, scrunching up his nose. "I think I understand the rules now. Let's play a game."

Ron made his first move, commanding his pawn to move forward. He seemed to be doing so almost randomly, which made sense as he was still a beginner. He probably wasn't sure what the best moves were yet. Percy wasn't the greatest chess player in the world, but he would win this round without a sweat.

But as the game continued, Percy started to realize he wasn't going to secure the win that easily. Ron was good—surprisingly so. Percy had assumed that with his quick temper and lack of effort that he'd make his moves without really thinking about them, but Ron took at least a couple minutes, if not more, to make a single move. It wasn't long before Percy's king was cornered and unable to move.

Ron grinned up at him. "Checkmate," he said.

Percy could hardly believe it. "Beginner's luck," he muttered. "It must be. Let's play again."

They set up the pieces again and started from the beginning. Percy wasn't going to underestimate Ron this time. Drawing together all the tips and tricks he had obtained from experience and playing with their dad, Percy just barely managed to scrape a win the second time around.

The elation didn't last long.

Percy lost again the third game, and the fourth game as well. Ron seemed to be pulling these complex strategies out of thin air, and Percy was astonished, embarrassed at his loss but proud that Ron was picking up so quickly.

"You're a natural at this, dear," the black queen said to Ron. "You have so much potential."

Ron blushed darkly at the compliment, looking absolutely delighted.

"Boys!" came a shout from below. "Lunch!"

The two of them startled at the noise and turned towards the bedroom door. "Let's go grab some food first," Percy suggested.

Ron's stomach grumbled loudly and he quickly agreed.

"This isn't over though," Percy grumbled as they walked out the door. "I'm going to beat you at least once more today, mark my words."

Ron was grinning up at him, and Percy smiled back down, glad that he'd be able to successfully distract his youngest brother.

"You're on!"


End file.
